Obama administration appointees in the Department of Homeland Security purposely stonewalled Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by journalists and citizens, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press. This disclosure comes days before Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is to hold an oversight hearing on the agency’s handing of FOIAs — including the claim that information requests were vetted for political reasons.

In the emails, Chief Privacy Officer Mary Ellen Callahan — who was responsible for handing over FOIA requested documents to be scrutinized before release — complained about the laborious process, and went so far as to suggest that the department might be sued over the unreasonable delays.